Radiation Protection Flashcards
Background radiation dose to a member of public??
2.5mSv
What is Air Kerma?
Total Kinetic energy released per unit mass by an ionising radiation
Units Gy
Measurement in air used as air has a similar atomic number to soft tissue (7) and effect on radiation on changes in temp are so small that they can be ignored.
At lower dose: AIR KERMA = ABSORBED DOSE
At higher doses: AIR KERMA > ABSORBED DOSE
Absorbed dose?
Amount of deposited energy in a substance
Units of Gy
Relationship between:
Absorbed dose
Equivilent dose
Effective dose
Absorbed dose in Gy
multiply by Radiation weighting factor
Equivilent dose in Sv
multiply by tissue weighting factor (had no units)
Effective dose in Sv
(absorbed dose weighted for ratiosensitvity of tissue)
What is Radiation weighting factor?
Takes into account effects of different types of radiation
Alpha particles highest: 20
Protons: 2
X-ray, beta, gamma, positrons: 1
Does effective dose relate to stochastic or deterministic effect?
Risk of stochastic effects in linked to the EFFECTIVE DOSE
What are the tissue weighting factors?
A value given to the different organ sensitivies to radiation
Bone, colon, lung, breast: 0.12
Gonads: 0.08
Skin and brain: 0.01
When is the highest risk to the fetus?
All or nothing effect during early fetal stage (0 - 2 weeks)
First trimester is very sensitive: high incidence of congenital malformations
Childhood cancer biggest risk in FIRST TRIMESTER
What is threshold dose for CNS malformations to fetus?
100 - 200mGy
When to suspend breastfeeding?
Completly if: had course of I131
3 weeks if:
- I131, I125
- Gallium
- Sodium
- Thallium
12 hours after:
- Iodine 131 hippurate
- All Technetium 99m compounts (except Tc red cells which is 4 hours)
4 hours:
- Technetium 99m red cells
- DTPA
- Phosphonates
Effective Dose limits for employee >18years
(Effective Dose governs STOCHASTIC effect risk)
20mSv per year
or
100mSv in any consecutive 5 years (with a max of 50mSv per any single year)
Effective dose limits for trainee <18 years
6mSv
Effective dose limit for <16 year (trainee or anyone)
1mSv per year
Dose to abdomen for person of reproductive capacity (STAFF)
13mSv in any consecutive 3 months
What is DAP?
DAP = entrance skin dose x cross sectional area of x-ray beam
- A measure of patient exposure
- Not affected by distance
Units Gy/cm2
The DAP meter must intercept the ENTIRE area of the x-ray beam
Equivilent dose limits?
Deterministic
Lens: 20mSv over 18 years
15mSv under 18 years and indirectly from another person
Extremeties and Skin: 500mSv over 18 years
150mSv for under 18 years
50mSv for thosse exposed indirectly after exposure of another person
What is controlled area?
4 points
Where person working their may be subject to:
- Effective dose >6mSv
- Lens dose 15mSv
- Equivilent dose of 3/10 of any relevant dose limit
- External dose rates 7.5microSv/hour averaged over the day
What is supervised area?
If anyone in the area is likely to receive a dose of 1mSv/year or 1/10th or any dose limit
When to notify HSE?
- Doses exceed staff dose limits
- Exposures much greater than intended
- Loss or theft or source
- Release of spillage leading to significant contamination
What is yearly background radiation dose?
2.7mSv approx
Radiation dose - flights etc
- Transatlantic flight: 0.08mSv
- Nucleur power station worker: 0.18mSv
- Annual average radon dose: 1.3mSv (out of total 2.7mSv average) - over 50% of dose
- Average annual radon dose in Cornwall: 6.9mSv
Radon gas emits alpha particles
Medical contribution = 14% to yearly dose
- CT contributes 47% of medical dose and is only 4% of exams
Nucleur Fallout (from testing of Nucleur weapons years ago)
- dose is so minimum, just 0.2%
What causes direct damage to tissues?
Rupture of Covalent bonds
What causes indirect damage to tissues?
Production of free radicals
Free radicals cause chemical changes in tissues
Are absorbed doses higher or lower than effective dose?
Absorbed doses tend to be higher
What is the average radiation dose per hour of flying?
4µSv/hour
What do tissue weighting factors give an indication of?
An estimate of the MORTALITY from cancers per mSv to that organ or tissue
Do not account for likelihood of getting cancer
Does Skin and Bone surface have same tissue weighting factor?
Yes
0.01
Deterministic dose effects
Lowest is fetal abnormality is 0.1 - 0.5Gy
Most things is 2 - 5Gy
Cataracts is 5Gy
Fatal whole body dose is 5Gy
Deterministic effect gets more severe as dose increases